Final Ethnography Interview with Laura Ann Singh (Janice Park)

Partial Transcript: Janice Park
Can you tell me a little bit about yourself– who you are and what you do?

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah, my name is Laura Ann Singh, and... um... stupid last name because I'm a singer, but I decided to take my husband's last name because I liked it when we got married. And so... I've been a professional vocalist for about 20 years, a little over that. I started singing professionally right when I graduated from college, um... and it was a long and circuitous path to figure out (laughs) how to do that, so I've had a lot of odd jobs and things like that as well. Um... but yeah, that's what I do. I'm a vocalist– I sing with a lot of different projects, I sing on my own, I get hired for other people's projects that they're doing too, so, (stutters). I teach lessons, um... it's kind of always– most musicians are a little bit of a hodgepodge trying to just fill out their income, you know? It makes... some... certain things are going to be more steady than others, so it's a lot– it's a lot of juggling and figuring out where your real passion is too, like, what you enjoy the most, and what can make money, so...

Janice Park
What would you say you enjoy the most out of everything you do, because I know you do basically everything?

Laura Ann Singh
(Laughs) I um... I really enjoy performing; I think that's my favorite thing. And... I really enjoy performing when I've had time, of course, like, to really get comfortable with the material, and it feels more like a conversation, and I can be relaxed and just really enjoy the whole process, because it's very much our way of um... (trails off). You know, in our culture, we talk a lot about mindfulness and being in the moment, and for me, that's a way that I can be really, really present, because you really have to be focused on what's directly in front of you and not think about anything else, so. For me, it's a big, it always feels like a big release, even when I'm kind of dreading going out to a gig or getting to work or whatever, I, if I can get to that place, I feel great after I leave– it's like a, like a big release for me.

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann introduces herself and gives a little bit of background on who she is and what she does. She also shares what she enjoys doing the most, out of everything that her career as a vocalist entails.

Keywords: performing; singing

Partial Transcript: Janice Park
So I was reading a little bit about you on the website, on your website, and it said that you have experience performing in super big, like, fancy concert halls and venues, and then also just like intimate smaller gigs and performances. So I was wondering where you stood with that, because I know that you can feel at home kind of anywhere you're performing, because you have that engagement with your audience. So what would you say... regarding that subject, um... Where you feel most at home? Where you feel like you have the most fluid communication and engagement with your audience?

Laura Ann Singh
I still really love smaller venues, um... (stutters). When you get to play in a, in a big place with lots of people, it's exciting, and it's a totally different energy. And I feel like I (shy laughter) have a lot of dread leading up to that, but when I get there, I can really enjoy it. But um... smaller stuff, a lot of times it's just more um... that engagement feels more immediate. There's less of like a... (thinking). I've never felt like a great performer, in that, I kind of just do what I do, and I hope that you can engage with it. And I want you to and I'm not like... I don't... I'm not trying to ignore you, but I'm also not gonna, like, dazzle you or you know– I'm just kind of basic (laughs). So, I think, I think, I can really enjoy both ends of that spectrum and everything in between. But, um... I'd still... I would pick... If I had to pick, I would say like, I love, I love smaller venues where it's more intimate.

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann details her experiences as a performer and how she prefers performing in smaller venues. She explains that this is because she heavily values connecting with her audience and the intimate and immediate engagement that she feels.

Keywords: audience; communication; engagement; home; intimate; performing; smaller venues

Partial Transcript: Janice Park
And what's your favorite music you like to perform? The genre of music that you like to...

Laura Ann Singh
That's so hard. I, I... Really, like, Brazilian music for me, just... has this deep part of my heart that I, I never get tired of it. I never feel like "oh my god, here we go again". Um, like, I've probably sung "The Girl From Ipanema" 65,000 times, and I'm still like "yeah, let's do it!" You know? (Laughs) So Brazilian music for me, but I still, I have like really deep, um... I have a lot of roots in American Songbook stuff like, you know, local standards. I love those songs I love, um, I love old country music. You know, I– there's just a lot of different things– but if I had to pick, again, I think I would say Brazilian music is my favorite.

Janice Park
And if I'm correct, you're not Brazilian yourself?

Laura Ann Singh
Nope.

Janice Park
So, how would you say that that has, you know, challenged you? Or any drawbacks you've experienced with your identity intersecting with the Brazilian music that you love and perform, and, you know, consider yourself a big part?

Laura Ann Singh
Of course. Um, well, there's two really important sides to this, I think, and one is appropriation, and the other is conversation, right? So... I would never want to appropriate music that's not my own. Um... and for me, that, that would mean using it in a way that's uh... gimmicky or important to my financial advantage... uh... when it's been anything, but that (laughs). I mean, being very niche has been great sometimes, but it's also, it can be a little bit of a pigeonhole. Singing in a language that's not widely understood can be difficult, because it's a layer of connection that you have to kind of jump over to get people to connect with music. So appropriation, I don't feel like that's a problem here, because it's not like there's tons of Brazilian singers here that I'm taking work from either, you know?

Um... I felt like it was this conversation, and the older I've gotten, I feel like between me and what I have experienced, and then experiencing this incredible love for this music and diving into it. And then, um, understanding that authenticity is not my goal. Um... that I can only be authentic to myself. And so the, uh... whether or not I'm like, Brazilian "enough", isn't really the question anymore. I think I used to have a lot of insecurity about that, like, "oh, I didn't grow up with this stuff, it's not like innate in me, it's not like...". And so, now, I feel like it's a, it's been a beautiful thing to be able to share this music with people who maybe don't... who like it, but don't have like, the same passion that I do to go explore it extensively. So I can just like, give them what I've cultivated from it, and they can appreciate it. And I love that role to like, bring that music into people's lives that wouldn't necessarily have access to it, um... here. And when I go to Brazil, I love that I don't sound Brazilian, you know? I don't sound... and then they're like, "whoa, it's so cool to play with someone who doesn't sound Brazilian", and it's got a really different, like, you're coming from a really different place. Um, and I feel like, most gringa when I'm there. And it's always this moment of like, "oh my gosh, I'm like... what am I doing?" But then it turns into this beautiful interplay, where, where everybody trusts each other, and, and trust, their respect that we're bringing into the music. And so it's, um, (stutters), I will say that the, the question of, of authenticity and intersecting with identity, and "am I allowed to sing this music? And am I good enough to sing this music?" and that, I, I struggle with that a lot. And I think I've come to a place of a lot of peace about it, and like, what, how I deal with it, how I approach it, so. It's a, it's a great question and one you could probably talk about for years. (Laughs)

Janice Park
I think authenticity is something that I struggle with as well, and I think just having two cultures, being Korean first, and then American, second, that's something I've always battled with. Um, and, you know, K-pop, on the rise too, like, it's really interesting seeing people... not appropriating Korean culture, but being a part of it in a different way that is not native to them? So that's something that I've also seen, like in the US, and I haven't really traveled out of the country.

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann grapples with the intersection of her non-Brazilian identity and her love for Brazilian music. She emphasizes the clear distinction between appropriation and conversation, touching on an interesting aspect of authenticity as well.

Keywords: Brazilian; Identity; appropriation; authenticity; connection; conversation; love; music; passion; perform

Partial Transcript: Janice Park
But I know that you have performed a lot outside of the US. So what would you say, you know, sets apart performing in the US, like, apart from the other countries that you've perform in?

Laura Ann Singh
Um... (laughs while thinking), you know, the US... it's an interesting thing, because the US is so... like appropriation is so wrapped up in capitalism for me. And the US has exported its culture for decades. And, um... and so this question of appropriation is, like, there's always been a conversation between cultures, right? There's always been, I mean, there's always been cultures rubbing up against each other, and rubbing off on each other. And there's nothing wrong with that–in fact, that's beautiful, and it's what's made some of the greatest art forms in the world that's, you know, that we still celebrate today, um... is different people coming into contact with each other and getting inspired or absorbing something that they didn't do before. So I think it's really important to have that like, baseline. But, it's also important to be sensitive. If somebody feels like it's appropriation, then it might be. Like, if you're, you know, if a Brazilian comes up to me and said, "I don't feel like you should be doing this"... (changes train of thought)– I will say I've had only the opposite response singing in Brazil and singing here. When Brazilians talk to me, they're very just, like, grateful that someone cares about their music. And, of course, people care about the music, but to see, I think, to see someone from a different culture, say like, this is so beautiful, I wanna know everything I can about it. Um... and a lot of that comes from that point of respect, as in like, I'm not trying to be Brazilian. I'm trying to be me singing Brazilian music. And I have incredible respect for Brazilian musicians, and the, and the story and the history of Brazilian music is deep and just a bottomless, you know? Um, so I think your posture matters a lot too.

But coming back to American audiences versus um, (pauses), audiences abroad, I, by and large, audiences are very much more receptive. And like, when you play New York, the cultural pressure is to be engaged and interested. And, so... you, even when people, it's a little performative, people are like, "yeah, cool" you know (laughs), and like the weirder and more avant garde or just like off the beaten path your music is, like, it's almost like more cultural pressure for that. So it's really cool, um, in that, you have appreciative audiences– people stretching themselves, people listening to stuff they might... going to see show stuff they might not know anything about. Or, people coming to see a show, and they know so much about it, because they love this tiny niche music, you know? And that's celebrated...? And like I said, like, there's actual cultural pressure there for them. Other places in the US not so much. So I feel like when you make a sincere connection with an audience, especially doing music, that's not English, here, it's very, very, like, it feels, it feels significant. Um, abroad, you know, in France, and Russia, in Brazil, like, like, people love to go hear music, and they, they expect to be moved, they expect to be engaged, they– it's a really different um... It's a cultural difference. Americans are distracted– they're bored, they're interested in themselves (laughs). They don't have attention span, for engaging in something larger.... that might require a little bit more attention. And I don't mean to say that... and it could be also because I understand Americans. And I, maybe I'm missing things and other places that I'm like, just assuming is interest (laughs). But I will say that, like I, I find that doing the music I do, which has been again, like a little off (barking in the background) the beaten path, (barking again) kind of, has demanded– Ha, yeah, there's dogs here– has kind of demanded that um, the people that do come and do engage care. And so I feel like I've had great audiences and receptive audiences here too, so. I don't mean to be sounding righteous– I'm not complaining, I'm not insulting, but yeah.

Janice Park
As you know, I'm in the Brazilian ensemble right now with Professor Harding, and freshman year, I took guitar lessons with Professor Harding. And he would share stories of oh... First of all, just, we did a little bit of Brazilian music, and he would share the meaning of the lyrics and the emotion that's behind the music theory of Brazilian music. And he would share stories about how, you know, similar to you, when he performs here in New York and stuff, like stage presence is such a big thing. Um, captivating the audience with whatever you have. Whereas in Brazil, he said, he'd be performing and people from the audience would come up on stage and sing and dance with him. And just that connection of, I don't, I think here, the whole concert and live music is very capitalistic– it's based on money. Whereas, I don't know about anywhere else, but you know, in specifically in Brazil, it's about connecting with the audience, being at home, (more barking) and whether it is your native country or not, and then connecting with the audience on a level where they feel like they can share the stage with you.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah.

Janice Park
So I just thought that was an interesting perception.

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann details her experiences with performing in the United States and compares those with her experiences with performing abroad. She describes the differences in the audiences, touching on audience receptiveness and engagement. Additionally, she brings up the concept of cultural appropriation and how posture matters in that context.

Keywords: Brazilian music; U.S.; appropriation; audience; capitalism; connection; cultural pressure; culture; engage; music; receptive

Partial Transcript: Laura Ann Singh
I think that it's... it's rare to find music that's really alive, as in like music that's being played places in the United States that is not for money. Or it's like, there's, Brazil still has a huge folk tradition, where people will go down to their Bodega down the street (unintelligible) and just sit and play software for hours. And it's like a weekly meetup, and it happens every time. Or, they'll have a show group and they'll go here and show you every Sunday on, at this place, in São Paolo or São João da Fé, like the ti– like the biggest cities or tiny cities, you still have these traditions that are really rooted, and so people feel a part of it. Whereas here, it's, it feels like it's getting more and more of that separation, and, and honestly, that might be part of the reason I don't like the (stutters) that the bigger stage, it feels so formal, it feels so.... (trails off). And uh, to me, all this music is about life, and about the, the shared experience of like, joy and tragedy and sorrow and happiness all being mixed up together, and how do we all deal with that, and where's the pressure valve for that stuff? And so, I feel the pressure valve when I get to sing, but if you're not entering into it, I don't know how you experienced it, you know? And so, I think that it has to do with having a real, live, living, musical tradition that is like an undercurrent in your culture, too. So that, yeah, I totally agree with him (laughs).

Janice Park
I hope he doesn't mind me sharing this, but he was saying how American music to him is very shallow and surface level– it's about drugs and heartbreak (laughter). Whereas Brazilian music, there's a story. And I'm not– you know, he didn't say it as a way of "American music lacks a story". But he was saying how Brazilian music is deeper in the core, like has a tradition, um... some story that's shared within villages, or like, a deeper sense of emotion that isn't just sadness or depression. It's, you know, sorrow and joy and vulnerability. And that's all said, not only just in the lyrics, but the expression, the hand movements, and the chords– like even just... the... not just the regular triads and the chord progressions that everyone knows in pop music. It's the seventh chords, the suspense chords, the add nine, add 13, all that stuff we studied together. And I think that's interesting, because, obviously, all I really know is American music. And even when I write songs, that's how I compose my songs– is using the chord progressions that everyone knows, because it's easy that way. And it sounds good.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah.

Janice Park
But I think there's a difference between it just sounding good and pleasant to the ear versus it really touching someone's heart.

Laura Ann Singh
I completely agree. And I think that um, like, the Brazilian music has this undercurrent, especially lyrically, but I think it's really mirrored in, in the music– it's what you're talking about. There's this longing, this, like intangible kind of feeling of um... that joy and sadness being mixed up. And there's a Brazilian expression that's “é rir para não chorar,” which means "you, you laugh so you don't cry". (Laughs) And so, in all of this, sam– like Samba is so crazy, because you'll have a song... (changes train of thought). A friend sent me a text yesterday, like "what is this song saying"? And it's an Elis Regina song written by... I, uh... I think it might be João Bosco, but I might be wrong; It might be César Camargo. And it's, uh, it goes, it's like (vocalizing), goes real fast, it's like (tries to recall lyrics and continues vocalizing). It's real happy, like, like, allegri– like big, like, fast, sounds super major tone, like your ear will be like, "that's a happy song". And the whole thing is like, "leave me alone". "This is terrible, it doesn't work anymore, this relationship is over, and we can't keep going on". (Laughs)

Janice Park
Wow.

Laura Ann Singh
You find that all the time, like these lyrics that don't match what we would imagine would match in, in American music. It's almost always like, very obvious. Like if it's a sad song starts with a minor chord, if it's a happy song, you know, it's going to be faster and all major. And um, you don't have that– you have a lot more, uh... mixing of these sentiments, which is how we actually live right? That's how we feel day to day, like uh... "I had this good news, and... now I have this bad news, but I still"– or "I have this good news, I still feel bad, and, you know, certain things are great, so". You know, it's all mixed up– It's not, um, it's not as clear cut, and I think that's part of what makes it very appealing.

Janice Park
My writing brain just keeps associating everything you're saying with like juxtaposition.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah!

Janice Park
Essentially, that's... kind of what it is?

Laura Ann Singh
Absolutely.

Janice Park
Correct me if I'm wrong...

Laura Ann Singh
No, absolutely.

Janice Park
But, that's definitely an interesting way to look at things and that's a unique perspective (stutters) perspective to have like, as a non Brazilian yourself, but someone that wants to share the culture, not out of appropriation, but out of authenticity.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah. Absolutely. It is, it is this juxtaposition of like... And a lot of that joy comes from this feeling of community, shared history, that we... this is what we do: we play Samba when we're sad, we play it when we're happy, we celebrate, we mourn. So that's how we, (stutters)... It's our pressure valve, you know? I think that's a good, like, like metaphor for it, you know?

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann reflects on what it means for music to be alive, touching on the complex emotions that Brazilian music evokes. She also talks about how important the sense of community is, which is deeply rooted from folk traditions. Additionally, she points out that Brazilian music often juxtaposes the feeling that one feels to the experiences one has endured, and how songs are not just a direct mirroring of obvious emotions.

Keywords: Brazil; United States; community; culture; experience; joy; juxtaposition; music; pressure valve; sadness; sorrow; traditions

Partial Transcript: Janice Park
So in Richmond, you started... Or you and Professor Harding started a Bossa Nova group?

Laura Ann Singh
Yep.

Janice Park
And you started that when you were a student at Richmond or after?

Laura Ann Singh
Right after.

Janice Park
Okay.

Laura Ann Singh
We, we, um... A friend of... So... I don't mean to be boring, but it's like a friend of mine asked me to sing "Chega de Saudade" on his senior recital. And I was singing standards and stuff like that already, so that was fine. But then, he asked me to sing this, and around the same time, one of my best friends, who was also a student of Kevin's, um... had– his parents were transferred to São Paulo, his dad was Colombian– so he spent his summers in Brazil, and we'd go to record stores and found the first three records of João Gilberto, like, compiled and gave one copy to me, and one copy to Kevin, and then we both independently went crazy.

(Both laugh)

And, and then kind of realized that we were having this like, you know, this, this love affair with this music, and then decided to start putting some songs together. And he took... he did, (stutters) took over the jazz band when Michael Davison was on sabbatical one year while I was there. So I had some with him in a context of a jazz combo. Um... so we decided to start putting some of the songs together, and when we first started, we had to do over half of our repertoire, just like you know, standards like, jazz standards– It's so funny to me think about playing that stuff with Kevin; We haven't played in years! Though we didn't have enough material, you know, we were like hammering it out by ourselves, listening to records, like no charts– there was no real book for this stuff. We didn't have any, uh, real, like, um, resources except this record (laughs). So anyway, that was, it was a really amazing thing that happened, actually.

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann tells us how Quatro Na Bossa came to life, which is a band that is originally based in Richmond.

Keywords: Brazil; Richmond; love affair; music; sing; standards

Partial Transcript: Janice Park
You talked about a love affair with music? I thought that was a very interesting way to describe it. Could you maybe elaborate on what you mean by that?

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah, I... So, it was absolutely a love affair, because it, like, took up this giant space in my mind, and heart, like, any free time I had, I just wanted to get up and start like looking at songs and trying to translate them and like, I wanted to be as engaged as possible. I wanted to go to every Brazilian party that I ever heard of, I wanted to, uh, I wanted to get to Brazil, I wanted to, I wanted to listen to this, like exclusively. So it was like, it was like taking up this huge part of my life, you know? Like, like, when you fall in love with this, like passion like, oh, every spare minute should be with this, you know? (Laughs) That's how it felt for sure.

Janice Park
That's true passion. I don't know how else you would describe passion without using the word "passion".

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah.

Janice Park
Like that seems... it's, it's like your heart and soul... you're giving it up for music.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah.

Janice Park
And you're letting it, kind of, become you.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah. And I got obsessed with... I wanted to be really, um, I wanted to learn the language, I wanted to understand the poetry rather than just sing phonetically. And so, I got really obsessed with pronunciation, and I found it to be a really beautiful language to sing. I love the vowels; I love how, I love how rhythmic it can be, I, so, it, that was, that was another piece of that too. But yeah.

Janice Park
I haven't seen you perform too much, but I will say the times I have seen you perform, you feel the music and your body feels the music.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah.

Janice Park
Like, your body dances with the music.

Laura Ann Singh
(Laughs)

Janice Park
I think that's, that definitely speaks to all the passion you have.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah. And also, that's how I make sure I don't get lost.

(Laughter)

Janice Park
Well, you're in touch with your body when you're singing.

Laura Ann Singh
Oh, that's an interesting thing. You know, the word incorporate actually means "to put in your body". Corporal is body, incorporate is like it becomes a part of you. And so when you think about incorporating rhythm, I think about like, where do you feel it? How do you, how do you keep these pulses and, and, understand the music on a level that's not here– it's like deeper, you know?

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann explains what it feels like to have a true love and passion for Brazilian music, comparing it to having a love affair.

Keywords: Brazil; body; brazilian; engage; heart; language; love affair; mind; music; passion; perform; songs; soul

Partial Transcript: Janice Park
Is that the only music group that was based in Richmond? Because I know you have other, like, Latin American groups too, and you're very well rounded. (Laughs) You have a lot going on.

Laura Ann Singh
No, so the, the other project that I got involved in after the Brazilian thing was, was... (stutters). My best friend is a piano player. She plays piano for, uh, Bio Ritmo. She's like, one of the composers, arrangers, she's, she's a powerhouse and she and her husband, who's the lead singer for Bio Ritmo, wanted to start um... a project of boleros, like the more romantic music they never got to play because the salsa dancers are relentless, and they just want to dance and dance, and if you play slow song, they're like, "boooo!".

Janice Park
(Laughs)

Laura Ann Singh
So a lot of that music, it was originally done in duo or trio singing so... And it's often a man and a woman with a duo style. So, Marlysse also loves Brazilian music. She grew up listening to it, playing it when she– figuring it out, you know? So we have, we had that shared thing, and so she played a couple of times with Quatro na Bossa, and then ended up asking if I would be willing to like, learn a couple of songs and try it out. And so then this new project, Miramar was born, and it's been... we did a lot of covers, we, that's how I got really interested in female composers, too. Our whole first record was basically around this female Puerto Rican composer. So that's an interesting situation, because Rei is Puerto Rican, and he's the one who invited me to sing the songs. He writes all the Spanish language material, because we do a lot of original material now. And so again, I don't feel like that's appropriation because I was invited, but I, I don't speak Spanish very well– I can get around, but it's not like there's nothing close to fluency. And uh... but, I'm not singing phonetically, like, I understand enough to know, like talk, you know, I would always go and understand the song before I'd sing it. But, um, yeah, so that's another thing. And honestly, again, here, a lot of times people that, that know, this music or are familiar with it, are so happy to have someone representing it, um, that can appreciate it from outside. It's not, it doesn't have to just be us. It's like, other people see the beauty in this too, and that's kind of what I hope to offer in those situations (laughs). But, he's kind of my cover, like, he's, he's actually real, you know?

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann shares how the process of how Miramar was created. She mentions appropriation and how that can be a sensitive subject matter.

Keywords: Bio Ritmo; Latin American; Miramar; Puerto Rican; Richmond; appropriation; boleros; duo; music; project; trio

Partial Transcript: Janice Park
Well, with all that being said, what would you say is your role as a musician, you know, in the Richmond music scene, specifically?

Laura Ann Singh
That's a great question, and it's one I think, has taken me 20 years to even begin to answer, because every musician I know has just deep imposter syndrome. Every single one– all the ones I love the most. And that shouldn't be, so people that don't, that's awesome, that they've been able to overcome that. But... I think it took me a long time to... understand what my role might be, which is, I'm a, I think I'm a really good interpreter of music, you know? I think I can take something that someone else has written and bring it alive to an audience. So that's kind of how I see myself, artistically. And... like, beyond that, as I'm, as I'm getting older, I think it's really important to, like, encourage, especially younger women, to do music, because there's just not many of us. And so I, whenever I see another woman, and that's another reason why Marlysse and I are such great friends, there's just not a lot of women doing this. And so, yeah, that's, those are the two really big things I think. I, I always want to support other local musicians, because it's such a, it's such a great town of talent– there's so many great musicians playing, and I've been really grateful to be part of a lot of different things. I went through that, you know, like I said, I think for a lot of years, I was kind of pigeon holed because I, I really focused on this music. And, so, now I've had opportunity to do a few different things that have just been great to stretch me and grow me as musician, too, so.

Janice Park
Building off of everything you just said, where do you see yourself making the greatest impact? I know that's a tough question.

Laura Ann Singh
You know, I, I really, I don't say this to be like Hallmark, you know? (Pause) I think musicians can get obsessed with legacy, like, who care–you know, who's gonna care when I die? Or, what am I gonna leave behind or whatever. And I think that, really, that's another reason it all comes back to performance for me. Like some musicians love to record. And some musicians love to write, and some musicians... you know, everybody has these different places where they feel really alive and connected to like, their gift. And that's another reason I really like, like performance, because when I feel connected to myself, and the music, then I feel like I can, I can pass on some levity, and I don't mean levity as in, like, stupid. I mean, like, we all need that pressure valve, we all need to release, we all need to feel relaxed and better (laughs). And even if it's sad music, you know, sometimes, if there's a, there's a release there too. So I, that's really what I see my, probably my, the most impactful thing I can do is, is give people a brief lift, in hopes that they just leave anything I'm doing feeling better? That's, that's kind of, and that's like the best I could hope for, that some– it seems like a small thing when I say it out loud, but I don't know that it really is. I think it's an important part of like... (laughs)

Janice Park
Everything you're saying, like, I can categorize as it being cathartic.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah.

Janice Park
And I feel like that's a word that is so underrated.

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah.

Janice Park
It captures everything you're saying so well, I feel like.

Laura Ann Singh
Cathartic is a great word to describe how I feel after I finish singing. And, and I do, I hope that like it's transmitted, you know? That there's like this sense of like, that felt right, like a recentering, almost, you know?

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann speaks on her role as a musician in the Richmond music scene and how she feels that she has a gift of being an interpreter of music. When performing, she hopes to be able to provide at least a brief relief for the audience. She finds great importance in uplifting other musicians, especially other female musicians.

Keywords: Richmond; alive; audience; cathartic; impact; imposter syndrome; interpreter; legacy; levity; music; musician; performance; pressure valve; role; support

Partial Transcript: Janice Park
Well, my last question for you is: is there anything I didn't ask that you think I should know?

Laura Ann Singh
Um... no, you've been an excellent... excellent questions, excellent thought. I will tell you, though, that you did a great job playing (Janice laughs). And it's so cool that you're Korean and American. My husband grew up– he left India when he was eight and came here, and so he's been here longer than he was ever in India, but, he's always felt like that their cultures, push and pull. And then my daughter is interracial, and so she's also feeling like, she's got Indian family and American family, and she's somewhere in the middle. And that's like, the thing that makes America great. That is actually what makes America great. (Laughs) Not anything else. So, like, lean into those things as you get older, like, it's, it's awesome to get curious about your home, your like, natal culture, but it's also like, it's great to be yourself in the mix of who that is, you know? I think that's so important. I think that's what– even people who are like... as white woman born in America, I still have had to have figure out who I am in the context of all this. And, and the things that make you feel confused are probably the things that are really important about you, too. So don't, like, don't be afraid to be just totally yourself (laughter) in the context of being musical, writing, and stuff like that, like, you know, your voice is important, so. That's not a question, but...

Janice Park
(Laughs) Thank you so much! I think you've brought a lot of interesting points to the table. Thank you so much for your time.

Laura Ann Singh
Thank you for asking me.

Janice Park
Thank you so much!

Laura Ann Singh
Yeah, of course.

Segment Synopsis: Laura Ann offers Janice some advice regarding exploring Janice's natal culture and encourages Janice to be curious about what this might mean for her identity in the context of this world.

Keywords: America; culture; natal